The present invention relates to surgical clip appliers embodied as an instrument having a supply of clips for rapidly deploying several clips in closing severed blood vessels and other small fluid carrying ducts in surgical procedures. There are many different designs for surgical clip applicators for a variety of surgical procedures including both open surgery and laparoscopy in which a clipping appliance fits through a trocar tube into a body cavity where the clips are applied.
A surgical clip applicator comprises an operating handle and clip applying mechanism having an operating cycle in which operating levers are squeezed together and released. In this operating cycle, a clip is applied in surgery and the clip applicator jaws are reloaded with a lead or first in line clip from a clip supply channel for clip application in the next applicator mechanism cycle. The applicator provides a moveable clip supply channel containing a line of clips that are released seriatim.
This invention provides a new and useful clip detent spring for separating the lead clip in the clip supply channel, and for moving the lead clip into a set position from which the lead clip is pushed into clip applying jaws.